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The Australian 2-hour/4-hour food safety rule

How cumulative time between 5°C and 60°C affects whether potentially hazardous foods can be chilled or must be discarded.

Australia · FSANZ · NSW Food Authority

Australian food safety guidance uses a 2-hour/4-hour rule for potentially hazardous food held between 5°C and 60°C. FSANZ presents its detailed method for food businesses, while NSW Food Authority also explains it for leftovers at home. Time is cumulative: separate periods during preparation, transport and display must be added together.

Less than two hours total

For potentially hazardous food that has spent less than two hours between 5°C and 60°C, the rules allow immediate use or refrigeration for later use, assuming the other safety conditions are met.

Two to four hours total

Food can be eaten or used straight away, but must not be returned to the fridge for later consumption. This is not a four-hour extension of refrigerated storage.

More than four hours total

Food must be thrown away. The time is counted across the entire history of being outside controlled cold storage, not reset each time a container returns to a fridge.

What to do, step by step

  1. Check whether the item is a potentially hazardous food requiring temperature control.
  2. Track every period it has spent between 5°C and 60°C, including cooking prep and transport.
  3. If cumulative time is under two hours, use now or refrigerate promptly if otherwise safe.
  4. If the cumulative total is two to four hours, use immediately or discard it rather than returning it to storage.
  5. Once cumulative exposure exceeds four hours, dispose of the food. If the history is unknown, do not guess.

Is this a general calendar for every food?

No. A sealed shelf-stable tin, raw poultry, a ready-to-eat salad and a hot cooked dish are not interchangeable. The FSANZ business rule addresses potentially hazardous foods; NSW also provides a home-consumer version for leftovers.

Australian official sources

Guidance for Australia from FSANZ and NSW Food Authority. Read the original conditions, particularly for temperature and elapsed time:

Country scope: Australian consumer advice. The 2018 USDA FoodKeeper values have not been reused as Australian safety deadlines.